Stuart Amos - I consider my paintings a still shot within a larger story enticing the viewer to think about how the subject arrived in itspresent state. In this way the viewer is drawn into the painting creating an intimate experience. I believe art is subjective as it should be a personal experience. Individuals bring different views and interpretations to the work and this will determine their experience of the artwork. I know what a painting means to me when I paint it, but others may interpret it differently allowing for added layers of meaning.I am drawn to realism but also use the avant- garde impact of the surrealist style to give my work a sense of power and drama. I chose oil on canvas as my medium because I am drawn to this traditional method for its epic qualities. Recently I have been using multiple canvasses joined in various configurations, in order to diversify the composition and to challenge the viewer in the way the composition is presented. My arts practice is very much informed by my powers of observation and long hours of practice. My influences are foremost inspired by the growth and destruction of the natural world as well as that of human endeavours.

In my current work I am exploring the relationship between human constructs and the natural world through a melding of the ‘subject with environment’. ‘Life in the Garden of Stone’ refers to a collection of statues that are neither stone nor human but both. A symbolic battle rages between the two that will see destruction and ultimate regrowth. The theme is not one of melancholy but more characteristic of the immutable truth that ‘from death comes life’. Each painting juxtaposes the cycle of life and death through the impact of humanity on nature and vice versa as an expression of eternal hope.